Airplane



May 24-, 1932. LATECOERE 1,860,254

AIRPLANE Filed Dec. 11. 1930 2 291] Fig.2

INVENTOIZ Pierre LaTcorz @wlw ATTORNEY 3 5f tach the wings when the Patented May 24, 1932 PIERRE LA'rnconnE, orjrenrs, rnANcn TB PAT NT flAntiquerm; r w

. -"Applicationfiled December 11, 1930, ser al no; 501,706, and in' Belgium Decemberj 2 1, 1929. i

The present invention relates to airplanes and more particularly, to hydroplanes,

, One of the problems in hydroplane design, is to'p'rovide' means easily operable to deplane has alighted on the water because of an accident or otherwise, whereby a floating unit including the motor "remains which is capable of being towed through 'a. heavy sea and without the 1d interfering eifect of wind resistance exerted onthe'wings. Y f Hitherto, detachment of the wings-hasbeen effected by loosenlng appropriate bolts or' other fastening devices. Systems have been devised in which the wings mayfbe'simul taneously detached on both sides of the plane 'by a single maneuver of a central control mechanism. i But in suchsystems, it has been found that a considerable" expenditure of force is necessary and that the central opcrating mechanism frequently" jammed.

One of the objects of the present invention is to eliminate danger of jamming and diminish the elfort to be exerted on the cenzfi'tralreleasing mechanism, This is accomplished-by providing a first group releasable 'means capable of taking wing strains pro- 'duced' during flight, and a second group of means designed to sustain. the weightof the Wings, whereby when the first group of means is loosened, the second group of, means may be easily actuated by a central control mecl1-- anism to detach the'wings from the rest of thehydroplane. g

Further objects will appear in the course of the detailed description now to be given with reference ings, in which:

Figs. 1 tot show, ferent forms of fhydroplane assemblies to which'the invention maybe applied; 7 j

. F ig. 7 is a perspective of the releasing, as e b y; a V 8 shows an assembly ca able of being mounted on certain forms 0 hydroplanes and capable of detaching the struts and simi- "lar structures from the floating portions.

I Referring 'tothe various figures in the drawings, there is shown a variety oftypes {to the accompanying drawl g, a nd a turn buckle the wings, intermediate longrons'j. part of the bolt or'centrallfloa ting and"sus-- .taining assembly and interposed between aligned pairs of lon'g'rons j elements 7'? and diagrammatically, dif

v steps afterQturnbuckles f ,havebeen operated j ofhydroplane assemblies composed of the 7 100 "following elements: a boat orfloatable central-portion a (Figs. 1, 2 and- 3) provided I wlthyauxiliaryrfloats c'fFigs. 1 a'ndk3),

desired; "a fuselage b (struts g for 'monoplanesof the types shown in the Figs."2' and plane comprisinga pivotally mounted tubular member 71 terminating asloping por I tion it adapted to 00-2101; with a'correspondingly formed surfaceon the free endofstruts. i

f threadedly engaging withelement z' and slidably abuttin'gagainst V a flange formed on element 9) ;"and pairs of combined means forsustaining the weight" of the wings andresisting the'strains'on the latter during flight consistingof (Fig.1?)

longrons 7' extending longitudinally along forming f j being provided with male and fenialeportions of the mortice and tenon or tongue and groove types, a bolt e'trav ersin'g themale and female portions of j and ja a rod and-turn buck-1e assembly pivotally connected to j and provided with-.a'looped portion -l at one extremity,,a hook m pivotally mounted on 7' andiadapted to co -act with looped por-" tion I; a trigger v, pivotally connectedto y' andmaintaining hook minside looped porfiion Z, a Bowde -z i adapted to actuate trigger n and a lever g operable toactuate '$5 one; or several, Bowden elements p.

V Eightelements'of the typeshowninFig; 7 are mounted in 'pa-i'rs at points AA, BB

cc and DD.' Where struts of-the'type shown in'the Figs'. 2 and 5are employed,

the latter may be either" (1) made up in one a piece and detached from the central assembly by releasing combination CC and DD of the type shown in Fig. 7 or ('2) made up in two pieces'as shown in Fig. 8, inlwhi'ch'case releasing mechanisms CC'andjDDf may be dispensed with,combinationsAA and 'BB being'operable to releasethe wings two to release'the-struts.* v

T bolts 6 are first removed, then lever q is operthen {stiide (out take thestrains on the Wingsfduring 7 ref the YWiHgS after beltse-heve I a YWhetI:clmi-m is V k 1,3131%;cempesiIeheawier-thaneir'machine iprrowi'ded; with-e centrel portion including a ated to actuate all of the Bowden Wires so as to simultaneouslymove all of triggers 11; out of engagement ,with .hooks,m the latter Will 7 (if iloops aZ 'aind rebease turn {buckle assemblies H v to'ovdrop away from the floating portion of 7 fl I. Q. I J, -.Y;,.1V."L;'

It is to beemphasized that bolts e serve to whileturnbuckle, assemblies in are designed I.

,as to strength 'to rherelysupport the weight 'enotonend a ape-i1" ofzdetaehable wings, a-eom- 1 qgpoundwssembly for idetaohablfy supporting c said ,IWngs on;saiiducentralkportion comprising a g first pliurality of-means "connecting said ings :torsaidi 'centrdl pontion,=seid first pinit elity ef me ens operative to release-said :trhel.-weir rgs in flight position when; said first plmralitiy (of means has :been operated to vrel-easesthe wings, eechkof said-second i-plutendinggfiom :a wing to the central ,p ortion,

'mmdmnewrisifofreleasingsseiiditie elenrleiint I $21113 composite heaaiierithma-ir machine pl matity qmomidedwith :a central ;portion including re 7 1 motor, andaa paizr of ,detachaiblewings u ic'omipound'v assembly :for 'detadhebl'y -.-supponting qsaid, wings on :saii'd {portion 'oomprissi r , :ralrityostmeansbeimgaoperetiveto:releaseseid ing s first plurality of means xcorrneicting said said f'first rplw wings to said icontrol xpor'tion,

wingsilfromrseidoentrzthportionmnd wsecond ofme'a -ns mapeble f retaining [the ralityyozf means has :been operated ztO release the wings xi i-10m the. 'rcentral? gporti-on, reach "of :said rsecond ;plur=alitywof means in'clu 'ding t tie element extending from In swing to the -.eentral pertion, said t-ie element lls/Ming e loop forimeden onevend .theneoflya' hook engaggeable with .seid ,l'oo p, and mee'ns gfo'r re-' =13; iln(wcomposite'heayier-thammrrmaehine "provided with e centrzrl' ;po,rtion zincludiing Jar: motor, .and a 'pair -01? detwchablepwings,

--memis ioredetachwbly,supponting said wings on said eentrall per-tiori-xeomprising n first 7 fplurality ofuneensjconnecting-said Wings to gse-id fycentral port-i'on,:.%sa-id ,first'pl-umlit'y of means being ieperable to releasesaid rwings g i ii -om seid'icfentrel po rition a second p l urality of means capable ;ef.r;etan'nin;gj Kthe swing-s in the Wings are then freer 7 blnation with a pair. ofstruts supporting said been removed, v g

P formed .m at least -twosectl'ens,-oneiof sa d 7 sections harwing a threaded portion? fionned l the central portion, said second pluralityof means including a tie elementpivotallycon nected to one of the Wings and having a 100 formed at one extremity thereof, a hoo mounted on the central portion and positioned to engage in the loop'of the tie element,

' and means forreleasingsaid book from said it iloo p. 4.

A structureas defined'in claim 7 in comwvinggssaidflstmts lbeing formed in at leasttwo sections, and means for detaching one of sectionsfrom the other. 5, AL structure as defined colnbinajtion with a pair of strutspositioned t us n: ss dings, em st u being mam: 7 in' V thereon, endzthreaded mean-s engaging WE/h said threaded portion andiopenetiveitogeon .V'nect said seetions to, andto detach-said sec! .1330118EfIQlIly-OllflfiilQthBlh f r V 6. In a omposite 'heayl er thanseirfihe" I \Qhine, 9; floai-teble ,eentral portion, '(a; pairef, Wings, and gen arrangement fifior isupp rfi i f said Wings detachably on] saidgcentrel 1-per; .tion, said emangement including a-firstggizoup of me ens -.'designed; and dimensioned '!to withstand strains ,;occurring during flight endilendin-gzandsa second gzroup -ofimeensca pable fi o -s-a id nneans f-rbeingycepable of th V wings-t0 the ebodyindependently kof the cendition-oftheother;means., o. 7. In :a rcompositeiheamier then-ai-r vmesohine provided with is eentral flea-table i p0rktion apair-of 'Wings,=and:an arrangement 01" idetechably ,supportingsa-id Wings enmea id ieentnal :portion comprising aifilsii group, :ofj-i"? 'ineans comirecting said wings to Sflrld ieentrel iportion, said first group of 'rneains being diunensionedto'withstand:stralins ooccuringxdurs 1 ring a second group iol f means capable V Elf :retaiifingnhe swings in'flight' position'whenis said :firstugroup :Inewns ehaissbeen operated to disconnect saidwingsztromitheeentmliportion, and means operative lto :aetuete said sec- 0nd groupfof means to release zseid wings f trom the cent-relgportion. w 311,15 "8. In e composite heavier-thenair; ma 5 chine providedwith a central ems-151s po'rtion, a pair' of ings, and anarrzrngernentifor "detecha bly supporting said wings said central portioneornprising a firstg'groupof ineansconnecting saidrwings to solid central portion, said'firstgroup of means beingcdimensionedto Withstand strains occurring "during l'fiighu a second gr oup of means 5 f :cspzi-bleof retainingthe wings infiight position ,when said first group-of imeens has, been 7 .oper'z ted to disconneot-fsaid wings .rmm the wcentra l pontion, endi-me'ans qperative toa actw ,ate sa dsecond:groirgp ohmeans to zreleesegall T said wings simultaneously from said central portion.

9. In a machine as claimed in claim 7, said second group of means including releasable tie elements connecting said wings to, said central portion. In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PIERRE LATEGOEREQ 

